M1 - The Crab Nebula

[silentrunning]

A clear night, the first in ages! Managed to get 14 x 10 mins (2 hrs 20mins) in total of M1 with the OSC.
 

[RobH]

Beautiful image Doug. The RC is performing very nicely!

[silentrunning]

Thanks Rob

It has remained pretty well aligned. I have made no adjustments since that almighty effort to kick it into touch but it is sliding out a bit. The stars are losing there shapes a bit across the field as though the image plain is tilting a bit so I feel I will need to do some more tweaking before too long. Remarkably stable really considering I have to lift it onto the mount for each and every session. I plan to flock the tube so it will need readdressing as it all goes back together anyway.

Doug

[symesie04]

Lovely detail in the crab. May be my monitor but is the background just a bit to black?

[wxsatuser]

Nice Crab.

[ScottS]

Lovely detail in the crab. May be my monitor but is the background just a bit to black?

I know next to nothing about astro imaging, but isn't that the colour space is supposed to be?

[silentrunning]

Thanks for the comments.
 
I always struggle with the background and funnily enough I have been reprocessing this to get the background less noisy since my first attempt. removing the noise does make it a bit starker in my opinion (and yours) and it seems people are divided on this. I may go back to the original...
 

 
Interested to know which one you guys prefer.
 
Doug

[kirkster501]

I always strive for a very dark background as well.  But I believe you throw some of the baby out with the bathwater when you strive to get it too dark.

[RobH]

Background looks fine to me. There is a dark region surrounding the main body of the nebula, which is probably dust. This can make the edge of the nebula seem to cut off quite abruptly but is actually there.

[symesie04]

Personally i prefer the second edit, look more natural to my eye. But reading Robs comments seems maybe the original is is the one to go with. Strange but despite its enormous fame it seems and object thats not commonly imaged by amateurs, or am i just missing them?

[silentrunning]

Thanks for the comments - I really can't decide!

I am also amazed this isn't imaged more often it is a cracking object.

Doug

[Quatermass]

Cool crab

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